Telnet Service on Windows XP

For those of you who do not know what Telnet is, it is the most basic way for one computer to be logged on to another. For a bit more information on what it is I refer you to the Wikipedia article.

I had the need to use telnet on Windows XP today and was wondering what ID it uses to login by default. I'm on a corporate Windows Domain and by default Telnet is off. For security reasons, I recommend leaving it off. For the immediate need, which is to be on a remote machine without affecting the work on the remote machine by someone who is using it, I turned on the windows Telnet service.

By checking the logs on the remote machine, in Computer Management -> System Tools -> Event Viewer -> Application, I verified that Telnet is started. Checking Computer Management -> System Tools -> Shared Folders -> Sessions, it revealed that I was logged on using my Windows Domain, which authenticated automatically. Once you are authenticated, your prompt shows as if you were on your local machine's command shell. You'll need to know the Command line to move on from here. I won't go into this here. Make sure you turn the Telnet service off after you are done.

Here are the default windows telnet commands:

c - close close current connection
d - display display operating parameters
o - open hostname [port] connect to hostname (default port 23).
q - quit exit telnet
set - set set options (type 'set ?' for a list)
sen - send send strings to server
st - status print status information
u - unset unset options (type 'unset ?' for a list)
?/h - help print help information

If you are interested in learning more, leave me a comment or just do a google search. Do you still use Telnet? What do you use it for?

Windows Remote Desktop

I was helping someone connect from their computer to another computer within our corporate Windows domain today and thought I had given specific enough instructions to complete the job. I sent a saved .rdp file with the remote desktop client name within our network. All that was needed is the login credentials, which was provided. A few minutes later, I had to go visit and see what was wrong and what did I leave out in the instructions.

Upon visiting, once the .rdp icon was clicked, it came up with a prompt for User name and Password seen to the left here. At this point, just put in domain\username followed by the password in the field below and you'll be in the machine.

If your password or username was incorrect, you will see the following screen, and you can retry with the correct username and password.

To get to the Windows Remote Desktop client you can done one of the following:

• Start -> Run -> type "MSTSC" and then put the computer name or IP address in.
• Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection

Hope this is helpful you. If you have any questions about this, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you shortly.

Did I leave any details out? Do you find Remote Desktop useful? If so, why?

LogMeIn to my computer!

LogMeIn has been a very useful tool for me both personally and professionally. I started using it late 2007-early 2008, this tool gives me the ability to get into my machine or anyone I help or support via any broadband connection. Best of all, its FREE.

When I started with my current company there was no standard remote support tool to use. Being a startup company, any free tool we can use is preferable. I started off using something I used before, WebEx, something I had used for a project at my last job. So it was good for the trial period, and I searched for any free alternatives.

I came across something called LogMeIn and signed up for a free account. I tested the software on a couple of machines and it was the tool I needed. It did not fill all the needs, but it does get the job done. LogMeIn also has paid versions with additional functionality, which may turn it into the exact tool I need, but I have not tested that.

Here is a link to a comparison of most Remote Desktop Software available on Wikipedia.

If you need a low-cost remote support / remote control tool, why not give LogMeIn a shot? If you have used LogMeIn before, what do you think about it? Let me know if you have used their paid services, I'd like to hear what you think.